Round Two: Transparent

Transparent: Season 1, Episode 2 “The Letting Go” (B+)

I’m excited to officially start watching my first Amazon show, and I’m planning to do so in the same way that I’ve screened recent seasons of Netflix series, watching one episode per week when the weekend falls, in between the many other shows on my list. This was far and away my favorite of the five shows Amazon made pilots for (four will be produced), and it’s fitting that it’s the first to put all its episodes online for Amazon Prime subscribers. While it’s not quite as strong as its first episode, this second outing is still both entertaining and enticing, offering up a wealth of drama for all its characters. It’s nice to see Maura make a friend after triumphantly recounting her successes coming out to Sarah, and to be able to bond over shared experiences. Sarah is certainly not being subtle about her affair with Tammy, and Len seems angry enough with her without any knowledge of the affair she’s carrying on that he’s likely to explode if he ever does catch on. I was shocked to see Melora Hardin’s name in the end credits and to realize that the onetime Jan Levinson-Gould is now portraying Tammy. It’s fun to see snippets of Ali and Josh’s lives, populated by tofu spreads and casual marriage proposals. Seeing all the family come together at Shelly’s house and the strange scene with the geese was an endearing and admittedly odd ending for this episode, and I think is going to prove to be an intriguing and creative show, and I look forward to watching it over the next few months.